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I test fit the horizontal tail surface and checked the incidence.

At level (0 degree incidence) on the meter the string level should also show level.

I checked the prop clearance to the ground.

Target about 1/2" of clearance when the wing is level and the prop hangs down. I prefer short gear as this reduces the likelihood of bouncing on landing.

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During the Ashley MM build thread the fuselage nose cone was identified as having some down thrust. This is also seen with the pictures here.

The nose cone measured about 2 to 2 1/2 degrees of down thrust compared to the wing.

I reduced the down thrust by shaping the nose cone with a Dremel tool. I marked a 1/32" cut on the top of the nose cone and used the tools to reduce the down thrust. It now has a small amount of down thrust, possibly 1 degree.

This process took about 15 minutes to accomplish and was not difficult to address.

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The following pictures shows the initial fitting and attaching the belly pan to the wing. Shoe Goo was used to attach the belly pan as it is shock resistant. Some epoxies may also work OK in this service.

This method produces a permanently installed belly pan that does not use race tape.

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Some body filler is used to flare the fuselage into the wing.

A razor saw is used to cut the wing away from the fuselage.

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Waxed paper was taped on the fuselage to keep the parts from sticking together.

A piece of balsa was fitted and was glued to the back of the belly pan.

This assembly was taped in place to insure that parts fit later.

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Slots were cut for the installation of the elevator horn.

This installation uses a 1 1/4" long horn to lower the throw to about 1/8" each way.

Make sure there is room for the horn and pushrod before gluing parts in place.

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A stick of balsa was glued in place at the hinge line.

This should be wide enough for the installation of numerous hinges. I try to install 5 hinges in the rudder service.

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Here are a few pictures showing the belly pan and wing fillet.

The Miss Ashley will make another nice looking model.

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The alignment was verified with an incidence meter and a string level.

I followed by tacking the tail in place with some medium CA.

A mix of finishing epoxy, cabosel, and cotton flocks was made to make the final joint with the fuselage.

My finger was used to smooth out the mix and make a small fillet.

I then set the model out of the way to dry.

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Pieces of balsa were inserted in the grove to keep the mix out of the gap while gluing.

I used a mix of finishing epoxy and micro balloons to fill the area.

The model was set out of the way to dry overnight.

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A scrapper blade was used to scrape the surface flat.

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I copied an earlier model to approximate the hole for the engine.

The firewall is located about 3 3/4" back from the spinner cone.

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The firewall was cut out of 3/8" thick aircraft plywood.

Below is the template that I used.

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Below are some pictures showing the installation of the engine and mount:

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The firewall and motor mount were tacked in place with a couple drops of CA.

A long 1/8" diameter bit was used to drill the holes for the motor mount screws.

I make my engine kill from a piece of 9/32" diameter tubing. A hole was drilled for the installation of the tubing. I ended up moving the engine kill to the left hand side (instead of right as shown) of the needle valve.

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Holes for the tubing were drilled at this time. The holes were located about 1 1/2" back from the engine kill and were 1/4" diameter.

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The mount was removed and the firewall was knocked loose.

The holes were enlarged to 3/16" and the blind nuts were installed.

Medium CA was used to glue the blind nuts and kill tube in place.

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This engine kill tube was filled and the motor mount was covered with petroleum jelly to reduce the possibility of being stuck with glue.

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Some finishing epoxy was mixed and was applied to the surface of the firewall.

Cotton flock was added to the remaining epoxy. It was spread around the outside of the firewall to hold it in place.

The tuned muffler is located on the centerline of the model. It makes a clean installation.

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A cutout template is now available as a PDF document.

To use it:

1. Print it out full size.
2. Cut the template flush on the seam line.
3. Wrap the template around the nose area and tape the template seam onto the bottom fuselage seam.
4. Initially cut the hole for the engine a little small and enlarge the hole as needed.

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The ailerons are made from a cut into the foam core wing. This exposes the foam core to any future paint that is applied to the wing.

Some finishing epoxy was mixed and applied to the foam surfaces. The excess epoxy was wiped off and the wing was set out of the way to dry.

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The front of the engine mount should be mounted down to reduce the possibility of vibration.

Some 6-32 screws were installed and a mix of 6-minute epoxy and fiberglass cloth was applied on the screws.

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Here are a few pictures of the rudder hinge installation.

Five CA hinges were used.

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Here are some pictures showing the radio installation:

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These pictures show the aileron servo installation.